Initial Teacher Preparation Program Admission
In order to pursue the sequence of courses necessary to complete eligibility for recommendation for certification, one must apply for and be admitted to the teacher preparation program. Admission requirements are common for all teacher preparation programs, except that certain special education programs have additional requirements.
Admission to the teacher preparation program is not automatic. Only those persons who have formally applied are considered for admission. Not all persons who apply become eligible for admission.
Teaching majors and minors are unofficial until program admission. Students pursuing teacher certification should follow the catalog that exists at the time of program admission. It is important that students apply to the teacher preparation program as soon as they have earned 56 credit hours.
Admission Criteria
- Completion of 56 credit hours
- Appropriate cumulative GPA. One of:
- An overall EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher based on a minimum of 12 credit hours taken at EMU. An EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher in your major, based on at least one course in your major. The Elementary Education Major is comprehensive, therefore, the elementary major GPA is based on the cumulative of liberal arts curriculum and content course work.
- Transferred 56 credits with a cumulative 3.0 GPA from all previous institutions.
- A grade of “C” or higher (if taken) in the following courses: WRTG 121 (or ENGL 121 ), CTAC 124 , Quantitative Reasoning | GEQR , one lab science, and all professional education courses (If special education, PSY 101 ).
- Official scores from the general SAT (If taken after March 1, 2016) with either a math minimum sub-score of 530 or Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing minimum sub-score of 480. Scores from the MTTC Basic Skills Test, Professional Readiness Exam, ACT, or Michigan Merit Exam may be used as well. See an advisor for details.
- ICHAT criminal background check and Statement of Civil/Criminal Convictions. If you answered yes to any of the civil/criminal conviction questions on the application, you will need to provide:
- A copy of the Judgment of Sentence, or Registrar of Actions, or Certification of Conviction. A written explanation of the offense(s).
- Application of students with civil/criminal convictions will be carefully reviewed and may take longer to process.
- Meet academic, social, moral, and financial obligations as a member of the EMU community.
K-12 Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Admission
The K-12 PETE admission process is as follows
Eligibility to apply
- Students must declare a K-12 PETE intent major and follow advising guidance from the School of Health Promotion & Human Performance intent advisor
- In the student’s second fall semester and after the student has completed PHED 100 and PHED 200 with a grade of a C or better, the student will be eligible to apply for admission to the major
- The student must also have completed or intend to complete PHED 102 , PHED 204 , PHED 205 , and PHED 260 with a minimum of a C grade by the end of the application decision semester (Winter).
Specific application information and format is available from the School of Health Promotion & Human Performance intent advisor and on the Physical Education Program website.
Application Process
By Nov. 1 of the year of application, the student must complete and submit an application for admission to the K-12 PETE major. The initial application includes the following components:
- Student demographic information
- Personal statement of professional goals related to Physical Education teaching
- Verification of current 2.5 overall EMU GPA
- Advisor verification of all necessary pre-admission coursework
By Dec. 15 of the same year, the student must:
- Complete a candidacy interview
- Have complete FITNESSGRAM health-related fitness assessment data on file with the Physical Education Program
- Have complete fundamental motor competency performance data on file with the Physical Education Program
Applicants will be informed of available dates and times for interviews, FITNESSGRAM fitness assessments, and fundamental motor competency assessments. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure he or she is available to complete the required admission assessments after dates are released each school year.
By Feb. 15 of each year, the Physical Education Program will make K-12 PETE major admission decisions. If an admitted student is deficient in one or more of the following categories: (1) motor skill performance, (2) FITNESSGRAM health-related fitness, and/or (3) professional dispositions as they relate to the teaching profession, the student will be required to meet with his or her assigned faculty advisor to create an individual professional development plan (IPDP) to remediate areas of professional weakness. This plan will include personal progress goals, possible student strategies for remediation, a timeline for progress, and how progress will be assessed.
Program Information
Successful Progress in the K-12 PETE Major
If the student fails to do any of the following, by Nov. 1 of the final school year of coursework, the student will be dismissed from the major.
- Meet progress expectations of an individual remediation of professional weakness plan,
- Maintain a minimum of a cumulative 2.5 GPA
- Achieve admission into the College of Education Initial Teacher Preparation program
- Achieve a minimum grade of B- in every “Methods of Teaching” course and a minimum grade of C in all other major courses
K-12 PETE Student Teaching Eligibility
Each K-12 PETE major is responsible for maintaining progress to his or her major and minor plan of study in conjunction with a faculty advisor. Student teaching is the final professional experience in this teacher certification program. Applications to student teach are due to the EMU College of Education by January 15 (fall student teaching) or June 15 (Winter student teaching).
Student Teaching Application
In additional to following all EMU College of Education student teaching application requirements, the student must also submit a complete Physical Education Pre-Student Teaching Portfolio to the Physical Education Program by November 15 (for Winter semester student teaching) and April 15 (for Fall semester student teaching). This portfolio must follow all official guidelines as established by the Physical Education Program. These guidelines include
- Documentation of 100 hours of specific pre-student teaching K-12 Physical Education observation/clinical experiences,
- 30 hours of K-12 Physical Education professional development experiences, and
- Artifacts and reflection of how the student meets or exceeds target professional expectations and standards of an “Initial Physical Education Teacher” as established by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE, 2008).
Guidelines and procedures for completing this portfolio are overviewed in PHED 102, are available on the Physical Education Program website, and are a part of advising once accepted to the major.
Student Appeals
If a student wishes to appeal an admission or dismissal decision, the student must submit a request for appeal with the Physical Education Program coordinator. The Physical Education Program Coordinator will follow up with each student appeal on a case-by-case basis according to the EMU College of Education Red Flag policy (website), and a decision will be made if/how the student is allowed to continue in the K-12 PETE major.
Pre-Admission Requirements: 20 hours
Students will need to complete these courses prior to being admitted into the K- 12 Physical Education Teacher Education Major
Major Requirements: 33 hours
Students must be admitted to the K-12 Physical Education Major prior to taking the following courses.
Students must complete all methods of teaching courses with no single course grade lower than a B-. All other major courses must be completed with no single course grade lower than a C.
Professional Education Sequence: 22 hours
Minor Requirement:
This program requires a minor | Please contact your program advisor for a list of possible minors. Students in this major are strongly encouraged to select the School Health Education Minor (Phased Out, FA 2017)
Program Total:
Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.
Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.
Critical Graduation Information
Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.
In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.
The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.
- Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
- Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
- Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
- Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
- Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
- Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
- Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
- Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
- Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
- Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
- Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)
General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.
Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.
